India as Known to Panini: A Study of the Cultural Material in the Ashtadhyayi c6.80

c6.80

(iii) *GAṆA-PĀṬHA*—The *Gaṇa-pāṭha* forms the most important accessory treatise to the *Ashṭādhyāyī*. The *gaṇas* were not known in the Aindra School (Burnell, *Aindra System*, pp.28-30). They must have been Pāṇini's innovation. Patañjali definitely states that Pāṇini first compiled the *Gaṇa-pāṭha*, and then composed the *sūtras* (*Evam tarhi Āchārya-pravṛittir-jñāpayati sa pūrvaḥ pāṭho'yam punaḥ pāṭhaḥ* I.¹.34; 1.92-93). Yuan Chwang's reference that Pāṇini collected a multitude of words and made a book, almost endorses Patañjali's statement regarding the priority of the *Gaṇa-pāṭha* to *Sūtra-pāṭha*.